Medicare is for anyone over age 65 who has worked 10 years and paid FICA taxes in their lifetime. Whether they need it or not. Also for anyone who is entitled to SSDI for 24 months. Whether they need it or not.

You are right that Medicaid is a needs based program.

[QUOTE=ginnie;1014584]I have a friend in Missouri, who turned in his lazy relative. Claimed to be disabled in that state and got away with it. He is healthy enough to drink beer all day and sit on the couch. My friend never understood why he got the disability to begin with. I see many people being denied, when they truly need the help. I don't know how people scam the system, but it does happen. Wish the programs were fair to all, easier for those than need the help yesterday....


Oh I can believe how easy it is to scam to get SSDI. Had a neighbor across the street, from Mexico, nice people et all. However her Mom stayed with them for a while and she and I were talking and she said she was going to try and get SSDI (we were talking about my hubby waiting for his hearing) and she said " yeah I heard if you just claim mental and psych issues, you can get it. I think I will say I am seeing cows chasing me all the time and there are special doctors you can pay to get a psych report".

And there you have it.....

I know of another person who got SSDI and she was working under the table cleaning houses but was disabled due to fibromyalgia ,bad back, etc.

[QUOTE=Ironbutterfly;1118852]The lady across the street might think it's easy but that doesn't mean it will be.

If you know someone working under the table and collecting SSDI/SSI, you have a responsibility to report them to SS for fraud. http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/res...ssdi-fraud.htm

so some woman claims you can get disability easily by faking psychological issues and that makes it a fact? i have a bridge in brooklyn to sell you.

This commenting saddens me, people like myself who worked 37 years in a row, paid into a system that kept it going for years, now I've spent 9 years trying to get benefits, now all we talk about is those committing fraud. What about those who have died waiting, lost everything, committed suicide because the system punished them for the sins of others.

It saddens lot of folks. I am sorry for the folks who are struggling and have struggled to get what they worked for only to be denied, only dying and losing everything in the process.

The question was asked out of concern of cutting the payments by 20% for folks who are receiving SSDI next year. No doubt that will cause stress, worry and financial hard-ships for many folks.

I don't know what the answer is to the funding to keep it solvent, perhaps they are thinking if they reduce payments, less people (those who think they can scam the system) will apply and will discourage them from applying.

But when we have Texas and other southern states where kids can get disability simply for not being able to speak English, laws need to be changed. That is abuse of funds for those who are trying to get SSDI and truly in need.

Not true. Not being able to speak at all may qualify a 3, 4 or 5 year old for SSI, but it is absolutely incorrect that ANY child is paid because they cannot speak English. Don't care what anecdotal evidence you have. Not true.

And these children don't get SSDI anyway so your conclusion is incorrect.

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